Disabilities at Disneyland

Today I’m sharing lots of information on how to enjoy Disneyland Resort in a wheelchair or other mobility device. This post is intended to help guests with both long and short term disabilities. It’s also a work in progress. Please let me know what else I can research for you and I’ll add it if possible.

Let’s get started first with some basics of how the parks are designed.

Basic Park Info

Disneyland, built in 1955, was not created with mobility issues in mind. While many attraction queues have been altered to accommodate everyone, some remain as they were built and require a workaround to enjoy each of them. We’ll cover all of those details in a bit.

Disney California Adventure, built in 2001, was created entirely differently and was made to accommodate all guests, with queues designed for guests in wheelchairs or other mobility devices. Yay! Progress.

With the attractions noted below, you will likely enter the Exit to inquire about when you can board the attraction. You may board immediately or you may be given a return time. Park attendance typically determines what option you’ll be given.

Each attraction is a little different. I’ve made as many notes as I can for each to help you navigate which attractions require unique boarding.

All mobility vehicles qualify.

If an attraction is not listed below, guests with mobility issues should be able to enter through the standard queue and will be accommodated upon boarding and disembarking the attraction.

This system is unrelated to the DAS pass (info on that below).

Adventureland:

Jungle Cruise – Enter through the exit.

Indiana Jones Adventure – Enter throught the exit and proceed to the rotunda. Guests must navigate steps when boarding and disembarking vehicle.

Enchanted Tiki Room – Enter using the lift to the right of the stairs.

Tarzan’s Treehouse – Guests must be able to walk stairs.

New Orleans Square:

Pirates of the Caribbean – Enter through the exit to the left of Blue Bayou Restaurant. Proceed to the designated access gate on the left. ***A new entrance was created for guests who are using a wheelchair, scooter or other mobility device. Enter now to the left of the attraction, close to Tarzan’s Treehouse. This makes it easier for guests who are using a mobility device since entering at the exit can be cumbersome and because it’s a long way up there.

Haunted Mansion – Enter through the standard queue. Cast member will direct you where to go to transfer to vehicle.

If you go to the park and ask for a hand out of information, Disneyland will give you this pamphlet. It’s packed with information, and I encourage you to review it before visiting.

Disneyland Equipment Rentals

Just outside the park, to the right of Disneyland, you’ll find where you can rent equipment. This rental shop is open one hour prior to official park opening and closes one hour after official park close.

Wheelchairs and ECVs may not be reserved. Please plan to arrive early; a limited number of wheelchairs and ECVs are available for rent on a first-come, first-served basis. Guests are also invited to bring and use their own ECVs and wheelchairs throughout the Disneyland Resort.

Rented wheelchair and ECVs may be used in both Disney California Adventure Park and Disneyland Park. They may not be taken off Disneyland Resort property and can only be taken into Downtown Disney part way. Cast members will send you back once you reach the area near the Monorail.

Select Disney Resort hotels offer a limited supply of wheelchairs for rent, but ECVs are not available at these locations.

Guests must be 18 years of age to operate and a photo ID is required to rent vehicles. The maximum weight for an ECV is 450 pounds. The maximum weight for a manual wheelchair is 350 pounds. Wheelchairs and vehicles are not designed to hold more than one person.

Off-Site Equipment Rentals

There are many off-site companies that rent wheelchairs and ECVs. These rentals will provide you with more flexibility than what Disneyland rentals will because you will be able to take them to your hotel and more. (Disneyland rentals can’t be taken to your hotel.)

Deckert Surgical & Homecare is who I hear most people prefer, for wheelchair and ECV rentals, but I don’t have personal experience with them. Their reviews online are fantastic and I know they work with Disneyland Resort Hotels often.

Alternative Attractions

Disneyland includes 2 alternate attractions for guests to enjoy. Take a look at these posts for lots of details. Many guests don’t even know these exist.

Notes

For information on the DAS pass, please refer to the Disneyland website. I don’t share details online because the system is wildly abused and those in need often get turned down due to others taking advantage of the system. (I have personally witnessed guests coaching friends on how to make their child ‘seem’ autistic to qualify. That situation, and several others, have scarred me, as I have a sister with a chronic illness and disabilities who truly needs the pass.)

Parade routes accommodate guests in mobility vehicles. I recommend viewing near it’s a small world to avoid the chaos of Main Street and around the hub. There is much more room near it’s a small world to set up.

World of Color and Fantasmic! have sections designated for guests in wheelchairs and ECVs. Visit this post for information for World of Color. Visit this post for information on Fantasmic! Within the “Notes” section of each of those posts, I go into detail on how to secure a spot for each show.

ECVs come charged for the day. If you have one that you brought from home or rented elsewhere, Disney will allow you to charge it at the ECV shop as long as you have the charger.

Downtown Disney is very accommodating for guests with mobility issues. Inquire at each location if you can’t find the elevator upon entering.

This post is a work in progress, so please let me know what other information I can provide to you to help with your visit.

Hello we have been planning a family vacation for over a year and I just had to have the 1st of 2 knee surgeries. My dr said no walking around Disneyland all day. So I will have a wheelchair. Do I need a pass or just use the exits?? I have taken my mother with MS in a wheelchair in the past but dont know if things have changed. I am having a hard time worrying about taking others with more severe difficulties place and have been with my mother and seen the “looks” but my children are so set on going we have saved a long time!

I would go by City Hall to see if a wheelchair pass would work best for you. They’ll assess your situation and guide you on what will benefit you most. IF you start at DCA, the Chamber of Commerce has a much shorter line.

I also appreciate your concerns re: the DAS. My daughter is 16 and we have been going to Disney since using the GAC. The DAS was an adjustment, and there are distinct differences between how things are done at DL vs. Disneyworld. One of the biggest differences is handicapped seating at the hub. In DW, there is a designated area that makes it easy to see parades and even fireworks. In DL, however, the fact that it’s smaller means the space is not set aside and because they use the hub benches for VIP’s/tours that area is off-limits. Viewing a day time parade is doable because there is an area near Small World, but Main Street parades or fireworks have no area unless you are willing to wait. I hope the situation with Fantasmic is improved and done like they do it with World of Color.

Hi there! Thank you for not posting much about the DAS process. Like you I worry about the abuse of the pass. We always use it when we go because my daughter has disabilities that would make for a very long & unenjoyable day if we didn’t have it. I just hate that I have to present my daughter to get this pass because I don’t like implying in front of her “oh here’s my disabled child” but it’s necessary to prevent misuse I know!! I think Disneyland does a wonderful & caring job of helping families which is why we go back often!!!

Hi Casey, do you know of Disneyland and California Adventure have a few places throughout the park where I can charge my electric wheelchair? I am scared it will run out of battery. I am unable to walk. I didn’t know if they’d let me sit next to an outlet while we are dinner or lunch? Thanks for your help!